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[back to news]| David & Rachael make winning Marathon team 05/08/2009  Most teenagers spend their 16th birthday out and about with friends, maybe bowling or watching a movie at the cinema. But for David Passfield, it was a whole different story, as he suffered a stroke, which led to the discovery that he had from cancer. David, from Netherfield, noticed he was not quite feeling himself back in January 2007, he said, “I just felt a bit odd and my friends noticed that I was losing a lot of weight - something I couldn’t really explain. The doctors thought I might be anaemic and I was referred to the hospital for checks.” On the day of his 16th birthday, he suffered a stroke and then spent the next month in hospital at the QMC having tests to try to work out why this had happened. He was discharged from hospital on 24th July 2007, just in time for his sister’s birthday. The results came back and the following day David was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. David continued, “Everything happened so quickly. I had my Hickman line, used to deliver the chemotherapy, fitted the next day and started my treatment straight away. I have been having blocks of treatment ever since. The first few blocks of intensive chemo made me diabetic so I had to have insulin injections. In a weird way this helped me get used to needles.” Talking about what it was like to have to go through this as a teenager, David added, “I was studying for my GCSEs at Carlton Le Willows School before I had my stroke and it was quite hard to revise while I wasn’t feeling myself. I’m really proud that I managed to sit nearly all my exams, even though I had been in hospital for a month. The only one I missed was maths! I managed to pass 10 GCSEs which was a real bonus for me. I’m looking forward to starting at Highpavement College this September and getting back some sense of normality in my life. While David was in hospital, he was helped by Rachael Ewing, a CLIC Sargent Youth Development Worker based at the QMC. Rachael helps to support young people throughout their cancer journey, from diagnosis to after treatment has finished. She enables them to keep a sense or normality in their lives and promotes activities for patients both inside and outside the ward. One of the places she spends time with the young patients is in the Youth Room (where the photo is taking place). The room, managed by the Nottingham University Hospital Youth Services, is a space out of the hospital environment where young people can hang out, play on computer games and just do everyday ordinary things. David said, “Rachael has helped me a lot. I go along to the youth group meetings once a month at the hospital where I hang out with other people my age who are going through cancer treatment. It’s great to just chill out and chat. Rachael also organises days out for us like going bowling which is really fun.” Rachael has signed up to take part in the Experian Robin Hood half Marathon, which is taking place this September. Rachael will be raising money for CLIC Sargent, one of the event’s official charities, to help support the work they do in caring for children and young people with cancer. Rachael said, “I wanted to take part in the half marathon after finding out CLIC Sargent is one of the official charities and wanting to do something beyond my job description. It is such a big event, and as I know firsthand, it is such a worthwhile charity – that is my motivation. I am having trouble with my knees but am determined to do it. The young people I work with go through such tough times and challenges and that is what I think about when I am running and it gets hard. Their strength and courage inspires me to carry on.” She continued, “David is such a wonderful young man and it has been a pleasure supporting him. There have been tough times when he has been unwell and low but he has come through them and has become a mentor for other young people that have been diagnosed.” As one of the official charities of the event, together with The Fire Fighters Charity, Headway – the brain injury association and the Alzheimers Society, CLIC Sargent is in charge of sourcing marshals (volunteers) to cover the course and event village on the embankment. David and his family are going to come down to the festival of running on race day, he said, “I would love to be able to run the race one day but in the meantime I will be there to support Rachael and others running for CLIC Sargent. My Mum and Dad are both hoping to marshal for the charity as well. It’s good to be able to give something back and raise money to help other families affected by childhood cancer, like mine.” Dee Richardson, Events Fundraising Manager at CLIC Sargent said: “We are thrilled that Rachael is running and that David’s parents are hoping to marshal. “The £30,000 that we raised from last year’s event has helped us to support 163 patients and their families in Nottinghamshire in 2008, over 80 of which were new to the charity. It has also enabled CLIC Sargent to issue over £17,000 in grants to children and young people in the county. “We would like to do the same and more in the year to come and are urging people to run for us and the official charities like Rachael is. Please see the website www.clicsargent.org.uk or call me on 0113 2307902 for details of how to get involved.” David is on maintenance treatment now, which has reduced the intensity of his chemotherapy, but it won’t stop until October 2010. |
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